


Rivalries Aside

by pique



Category: Football RPF
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Angst, Arguing, FC Barcelona, Ficlet, Ficlet Collection, First Meetings, Fluff, Gambling, Humor, Imagine your OTP, M/M, OTP Feels, Real Madrid CF, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2018-11-15 19:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11237700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pique/pseuds/pique
Summary: Serard 30 Day OTP challenge.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to do my own 30 prompt OTP challenge for Serard. Full list of prompts is [here](https://serards.tumblr.com/post/175342913002/30-day-otp-challenge).

Sometimes, when Geri and Dani play cards, Sergio joins in. Other times, like tonight, he sits at the table with a drink in his hand and watches them.

"Scared you're going to lose again, Sergio?" Geri asks him, without taking his eyes off the five cards in his hand.

"Stop using him as a tactic," Dani replies, a smirk forming across his lips. "I can see right through you, Geri."

"Oh please." Sergio leans back in his chair, getting comfortable. "I only wanted to have a drink and enjoy your company. I don't have an ulterior motive."

"See?" Geri raises his eyebrows.

  
  
  
"Have you two always been like this?" Dani asks.

"Yep." Sergio sips on his drink.

"When did you actually meet, anyway?" Dani eyes them both curiously, before picking up about a third of his chips and moving them towards the centre of the table.

"That's easy," Geri replies. "Back when he was in the youth squad at Sevilla. I played against him several times when I was in La Masia."

"You did?" Sergio furrows his brows.

Geri pauses, opening his mouth slightly. "Yes. Don't you remember?"

"I'm not sure." Sergio shrugs nonchalantly.

But he remembers. _Of course_ he remembers. He vividly recalls noticing the tall, blue-eyed boy as soon as he ran onto the pitch. He was bigger than everybody else on the Barcelona team, and it looked particularly odd whenever he stood next to Messi – the Argentine striker Sergio had heard so much about.  
  
He'd heard everybody talking about Piqué too. He was related to somebody who was on Barcelona's board, or something. Perhaps they'd called in a favour or two to get him on the team. A few minutes into the game though, and it was clear he was a solid defender. Sergio remembers looking at him and thinking _yes, this guy is going to be trouble_. He had no idea exactly how much trouble, though.

Geri isn't looking at his cards now, instead, he's looking at Sergio as though he's mortally wounded him by forgetting such a vital piece of their past.

"Are we doing this or what?" Dani taps on the table impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Geri places his cards.

"I win!" Dani exclaims, as though he can't believe his own luck.

Geri tuts with discontent, watching as his precious chips are greedily swept away into Dani's hands.

Sergio deals the cards for the next round.

"You went away for a while after that, didn't you?" Dani asks. "You were in Manchester with Cris."

"Yes." Geri nods with the urgency of someone who doesn't want to be distracted. "The first time I saw Sergio after that was El Clásico. It must have been around December 2008."

"You were on the bench, we didn't talk much," Sergio says.  
  
For the briefest of moments, he thinks he's said too much. After all, he's just given away the fact he remembers Piqué was on the bench that night. He'd read about Geri's return to Spain. He'd been happy for him. Maybe even a little bit excited at the prospect of them becoming competitors. Maybe seeing him again stirred something within him, something he'd forgotten was there.

"I enjoyed watching us win 2-0." Geri smiles.

Sergio grimaces.

"You two really are something." Dani laughs, sliding a small stack of chips towards Geri.

"Playing it safe?" Geri asks. "Actually, I'd better do the same."

Dani wins the round again. This time, he looks even more pleased with himself for doing so. Geri sighs – he hasn't got many chips left to barter with, and he hates losing. Poker is _his_ thing, and he commonly thrashes the rest of his international teammates at it.

"So, you played together for La Roja not long after that, I'm guessing?" Dani looks from Geri to Sergio.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you're more interested in us than the press is," Sergio says, twisting his lips into a smile.

"Since Sergio won't remember, I'll cut in," Geri replies. "I got called up in February 2009. The first game we played together was against England, in Sevilla."

By now, Sergio thinks Geri is beginning to look tired of Dani's questions, and more importantly, of his own apathetical responses.

"I remember having a lot of my family out for that match," Sergio says.

But there's a lot more than that to it. That was when it all started – whatever this thing between Geri and him is. They've been on, they've been off, but whatever seems to happen on the pitch during El Clásico, he and Geri always seem to go back to each other. Every single time there is an international break, they secretly act like a couple.

Sergio stretches his arms out and yawns. "I might let you two finish up here." He groans, getting to his feet. "It's time to call it a night."

"I would have thought you would have enjoyed seeing me take all of his money," Dani says, sifting through his cards.

"Another time." Sergio smiles playfully. With his back to Dani, he waits until he catches Geri's eye.

 _I remember everything_ , he mouths. _All of it_.

Geri fixes his blue eyes on Sergio, staring at him intensely, albeit only for a moment. Sergio sees the flicker of mutual understanding that's always there between them.

"You know what?" Geri says, reaching into his pocket and producing a wad of notes. "All or nothing, Dani. Come on, let's go for it."

He watches like an animal about to pounce on its prey as Dani slides all his chips into the centre of the table.

Dani puts his cards down first. Geri follows expressionlessly, only smirking once they're laid out and he sees Dani's response.

Geri wins the game.


	2. Realising They Liked Each Other

There is a body in the bed next to him. Geri realises this because it gives a distinct yelp when he accidentally kicks it in the back.

"You and your stupid big feet!" Sergio turns to him, shoving him in the chest.

It takes Geri a moment to ascertain exactly what's going on. The morning sunlight stings his half open eyes, and his head throbs angrily.

"I can't believe you kicked me." Sergio glares at him. "Especially after last night."

_After last night_.

The three words send a surge of panic that rushes through Geri's body. He massages his temples in vain, but the headache won't relent. There was a party, there was beer, there was bad singing at the karaoke machine. But Geri has no idea how he ended up here, in a hotel room with Sergio, of all people.

"Did we…?" Geri begins, but he can't go through with asking the question.

"Did we what?" Sergio props himself up on the bed, and if Geri didn't know any better, he'd swear Sergio was smirking.

Geri takes a deep breath, because he has to do this. Lifting the bed cover, he checks. Yes, he is wearing pants.

Sergio cackles with laughter. He laughs until his face is a distinct shade of crimson, until he's gripping his sides with his hands to try and control himself.

"You think…" But Sergio can't speak while he's this hysterical. "You think we slept together."

"Sergio, I woke up in your bed!" Geri can't meet his eye, can't watch him cracking up at this a moment longer. He stumbles to his feet.

"You were drunk and I looked after you," Sergio says. "Don't I even get a thank you? Aren't you even going to buy me breakfast?"

"No." Geri's stomach turns at the mere thought of food. He gathers the rest of his clothes from the floor, not wanting to know how they got there.

"I can't believe you thought we slept together." Sergio chokes through the last of his laughter.

Geri leaves the room thinking, _would it be so bad if we had?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally... an update!


	3. Taking Selfies Together

It isn’t the worst argument they’ve had. But it is the silliest.

Sergio sits on the bed, his back turned towards Gerard as he puts his clothes on. There is the constant humming of passing vehicles on the road outside, the whir of a maid’s vacuum cleaner in the hallway.   
  
Neither of them speak. Not until Gerard’s phone vibrates.

“I meant what I said Gerard. Turn it off!”

“When will you stop being so fucking unreasonable?”

Brown eyes glare in his direction. “I’m not the unreasonable one.”

“I just don't get why you won't do this for me.”

“Gerard, I am not going on periscope with you.”

“Everyone else has been.”

“Well, _I'm_ not everyone else.”

You’ve got that right, he thinks. Frustration. Despondency. Another Ramos induced migraine pressing at his temples.

Sergio stands, smoothing his shirt out with the palms of his hands. Fixing his hair. Trying to make it look as though he never came here, no doubt.

“I just don't get why you see it as such a negative thing.” A heavy sigh falls from Gerard’s mouth. “It would make us seem more united.”

“We _are_ united.”

Gerard scoffs.

“Some things should be kept private.”

“Like us, you mean?” Gerard asks.

Sergio goes still.

“I have nothing. Nothing to remember you by when we’re apart for months at a time. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve imagined us being together. I don’t even have a photo of us.”

“You’d probably put it on Twitter if you did.”

“I was being serious.”

“Were you? Because sometimes, Gerard, it's very hard to tell.”

Gerard’s eyes wander, as though he’s not sure where to set his gaze. His lip quivers.

A strong hand on his shoulder, Sergio shushing him with soft whispers.

“Hey, hey. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

Gerard looks up at him longingly. Sergio leans over, pressing their noses together. They stay like that for a while.

“One selfie,” Sergio says. “And it’s just for us. No one else.”

“Just for us.” Gerard nods.

“Otherwise, I will personally ensure that you never get onto the Internet again.”

Gerard barely suppresses a laugh as he reaches for his phone.


End file.
